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|||||||||||||| USOO5249549A United States Patent (19) 11 Patent Number: 5,249,549 Rockaitis, III 45) Date of Patent: Oct. 5, 1993 (54) DISPOSABLE PET LITTER CONTAINER 4,884,526 12/1989 Giannakopoulos. 76) Inventor: Joseph J. Rockaitis, III, 3213N. 5,035,205 7/1991 Schiller et al. Queen Anne Rd., Woodstock, Ill. FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 60098 3420837 12/1985 Fed. Rep. of Germany ..... 119/165 21 Appl. No.: 816,212 Primary Examiner-John J. Wilson (22 Filed: Jan. 3, 1992 Assistant Examiner-Todd E. Manahan Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Kinzer, Plyer, Dorn, 51) Int. Cl.............................................. A01K 29/00 McEachran & Jambor 52 U.S. Cl. .................................... 119/165; 119/168; 206/508; 206/510; 229/125.36 57 ABSTRACT 58 Field of Search ............... 119/165, 166, 168, 169; A disposable litter container for pets, usually cats, in 206/204, 501, 502, 509, 510, 511, 508; cludes a molded tray of water-absorbent paper material 229/125.03, 125.36 that does not lose appreciable structural strength upon 56) References Cited absorption of limited quantities of water. The paper U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS material preferably includes an appreciable wax con tent. The tray has a bottom wall formed integrally with 1,717,974 6/1929 Heinrichs ............................ 206/502 2,401,038 5/1946 Barton et al. .................. 229/125.03 side walls, enclosing a litter chamber, with the side 3,745,975 7/1973 Prucha . walls extending upwardly from the bottom wall for a 4,171,680 10/1979 Silver et al. predetermined height greater than the litter chamber 4,444, 148 4/1984 Lander . height. Lid retainers are molded into the side walls at 4,627,381 12/1986 Reed et al. the top of the chamber. A lid interfits with the lid retain 4,627,382 12/1986 Muzzey . ers to seal the top of the litter chamber. There are com 4,648,349 3/1987 Larson ................................ 119/168 plementary, interfitting supports on the lid and on the 4,716,853 1/1988 d'Aniello . 4,779,567 10/1988 Smith. tray that adapt the lid to service as a base for the tray 4,782,976 il/1988 Kenyon ............................... 206/508 when the lid is removed. The lid can be replaced, when 4,846,103 7/1989 Brown ................................. 119/168 the litter is spent, to re-seal the container for disposal. 4,858,559 8/1989 Allen. 4,869,204 9/1989 Yananton ............................ 119/169 18 Claims, 2 Drawing Sheets / 26 ne Sess 777;- ri U.S. Patent Oct. 5, 1993 Sheet 1 of 2 5,249,549 FIG. 1 -23 / *: N Sesii 33 SN- a Y?: ; : y eS SW a V w . ' .' '.'r . es w Y 18 s is: Yu S.S.S. M . Sara NS NNNNNY U.S. Patent Oct. 5, 1993 Sheet 2 of 2 5,249,549 5,249,549 1. 2 simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and that is DISPOSABLE PET LTTER CONTAINER formed of biodegradable materials. Accordingly, the invention relates to a disposable pet BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION litter container comprising a tray of molded, water Many pets, mostly cats, can be trained to utilize a tray absorbent paper material that does not lose appreciable or other container filled with absorbent and frequently structural strength upon absorption of limited quantities order-minimizing material for the disposition of their of water that paper material constituting paper pulp bodily wastes, both liquid and solid. The traditional containing at least five percent (5%) of a non-water arrangement utilizes a permanent tray, usually metal or absorbent additive; the tray has a bottom wall of given plastic, that is impervious to water. The tray is filled O size and configuration formed integrally with side wall with an appropriate, usually granular material that ab means enclosing the bottom and sides of a litter cham sorbs liquid and that may include odor reducing compo ber, the side wall means including at least one sidewall nents. This material is most frequently referred to as extending upwardly for a predetermined height H1 "litter" and is commonly sold in relatively large sacks around the outer edge of the bottom wall, and lid re or other containers capable of filling the tray several 15 tainer means, molded into the side wall means at a given times. In some instances the tray is lined with plastic height H2 above the bottom wall of the tray, with film to be used to dispose of the litter when a change is H12 H2, thus defining the upper limit of the litter required. chamber. The litter container further comprises a reus These traditional arrangements present some continu able lid having a size and configuration corresponding ing problems and difficulties for the person responsible 20 to the size and configuration of the bottom wall of the for care of the pet. Thus, regardless of the materials tray, which lid interfits with the lid retainer means to used in the litter, odor is frequently a substantial prob lem. Disposition of the used litter, when a change is seal the top of the litter chamber; there are complemen necessary, is a disagreeable task. The pet, particularly a tary, interfitting support means on the lid and the tray cat, may tear the plastic liner in the course of its activi 25 adapting the lid to service as a base for the tray by ties preliminary to use of the litter tray, in which case removal of the lid from the lid retaining means and some of the waste, particularly liquid waste, may collect placement of the tray on the lid. in the tray itself and may require washing or other such BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS action. For most litter, refilling the tray presents a sub stantial dust problem. 30 FIG. 1 is a plan view of a disposable pet litter con These problems and difficulties with the traditional tainer constructed in accordance with one embodiment pet litter container arrangements have led to develop of the invention; ment of a variety of temporary trays and other contain FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken approximately as ers for use with pet litter. These temporary pet litter indicated by line 2-2 in FIG. 1 showing the pet litter containers are usually partially disposable or include 35 container as it would be supplied to the pet owner; some disposition provisions such as a separate plastic FIG. 3 illustrates the disposable pet litter container of film sack. These developments tend to minimize or even FIGS. 1 and 2 set up for use by the pet, in a sectional eliminate some of the problems associated with dispo view like FIG. 2; sition of used litter. They do not particularly improve FIG. 4 is a sectional view, similar to FIG. 2, of an odor problems and frequently provide no assistance in 40 other embodiment of the invention; connection with residual liquid waste collecting in the FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the disposable pet litter tray at the bottom of the litter. Those that have liners of container of FIG. 4 set up for use by the pet; and plastic film or the like present the same problem as with FIG. 6 illustrates another form of the disposable pet a liner used in a permanent tray. litter container provided with a supplemental cover. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 45 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED It is a principal object of the present invention, there EMBODIMENTS fore, to provide a new and improved disposable pet FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a disposable pet litter container litter container that effectively minimizes or eliminates 10 comprising one of the preferred embodiments of the the principal problems previously encountered with pet 50 present invention. The pet litter container 10 includes a litter arrangements, whether employing permanent tray 11 formed of molded, water-absorbent paper mate trays or temporary, disposable trays. rial that does not lose appreciable structural strength A more specific object of the invention is to provide upon absorption of limited quantities of urine or of a new and improved disposable pet litter container water in other forms. Tray 11 has a bottom wall 12 of formed of a water-absorbent paper material that does 55 given size and configuration; for example, the bottom not lose appreciable structural strength upon absorption wall might be of rectangular configuration with dimen of limited quantities of liquid waste or other water, a sions of about 15 inches by 18 inches. Tray 11 further container that materially reduces odor problems be comprises side walls enclosing the sides of a litter cham cause it does absorb liquid waste. ber 17. In tray 11, there are four side walls 13, 14, 15 and A further specific object of the invention is to pro 16 enclosing the sides of litter chamber 17. Each of vide a new and improved disposable pet litter container these side walls extends upwardly for a predetermined that comes to the pet owner filled with its own litter, height H1 above the upper surface of botton wall 12 that has a lid which serves as a base for the litter con and at the outer edge of the bottom wall. Typically, H1 tainer while it is set up for use by the pet, and that can may be about five to eight inches. be resealed with the same lid for convenient disposition 65 Tray 11 of the disposable pet litter container 10, after the useful capacity of the litter has been surpassed. FIGS. 1-3, incorporates lid retainer means, molded into Another object of the invention is to provide a new the side walls 13-16, at a given height H2 above the and improved disposable pet litter container that is bottom wall 12 of the tray.